Will For The Expatriates

If you are an expatriate residing in UAE and if you have property investments or assets, chances are your family will face problems if you don’t have a properly prepared Will.

Back in your country, for example in the UK, there may be statutory laws (intestacy rules) in place to guide the distribution of property if you don’t leave a Will. But the situation will be drastically different if you are in Dubai, as here the disbursement of your assets follows Islamic Sharia Law. Sharia Law insists on fixed share allocation (each family member gets a fixed share based on some parameters) and the wishes of the deceased can’t be fulfilled unless supported by a properly documented Will. So if you are an expat having a bank balance, assets or an investment in Dubai, a registered Will can help your loved ones avoid prolonged legal labyrinths in case of your sudden demise.

Dying in a foreign land without a Will becomes much complicated if the deceased has debts or other dues in that country. Hence an Indian Expat dying intestate in Dubai may be leaving much worry to his family than assets. In the event that the deceased leaves no will and he is a Muslim, Sharia laws would apply and any debt or dues would be paid first prior to any other disbursement of property.

There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the Shariah Law on who gets what and the freezing of bank accounts, etc. With Just Wills rest assured we explain the whole process on how your finances should be structured, advising on setting up an Asset & Liability List, completing beneficiary forms, and most important maintaining a filing system that helps your executors locating your estate.